The second item in the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is the mustard herb growing abnormally into a tree (Matt. 13:31-32). Mustard is an herb, not a tree. When a mustard plant grows into a tree, it becomes abnormally large. The mustard in the Lord’s parable grew abnormally into a large tree, as indicated by the fact that birds come to roost in its branches (v. 32). In typology, the tree signifies abnormal Christianity. Nominal Christianity is abnormally large. In Luke 12:32, the Lord Jesus called the church a “little flock.” Comparatively speaking, the church should be much smaller than human society; yet today, approximately one-third of the people on the earth, including both the Catholics and the Protestants, call themselves Christians.
When the mustard herb becomes abnormally large, the branches of its tree become the roosting place for the birds. The birds signify the persons and matters that are related to Satan, the enemy who sowed the tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:25, 28). In today’s Christianity there are many enterprises, and there are many “birds,” denoting Satan and all the persons and matters that belong to Satan, roosting in these enterprises.
The third item in the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is leaven taken by a woman and hidden in three measures of meal (Matt. 13:33). Bread made without leaven is hard and is not easy to eat. Leaven makes bread easier and more pleasant to eat. This principle has been applied by the Catholic Church to many spiritual things. For example, in order to help people to know who Jesus is, Catholicism utilized a painting done in the Middle Ages by a skillful artist and called it a “picture of Jesus.” However, the handsome man in that painting is not the real Jesus (Isa. 53:2). That picture is devilish and idolatrous. Now, not only Catholics, but many Protestants as well, revere that picture. Such pictures are idols and are leaven.
Leaven signifies evil things and evil doctrines (1 Cor. 5:6, 8; Matt. 16:6, 11-12). Many evil things can be found in today’s Christianity, especially in Catholicism. The woman in Matthew 13 signifies the Catholic Church, which has taken many pagan practices, heretical doctrines, and evil matters and mixed them with the teachings concerning Christ to leaven the whole content of Christianity (Rev. 2:20, 24b). Two clear examples of such leaven are Christmas and Easter.
The meal in which the woman hid the leaven is the fine flour for making the meal offering (Lev. 2:1), signifying Christ as food to both God and man. Today this food has become mixed with leaven. The Catholic Church does teach something concerning Christ, but all its teachings are leavened. In a sense, there are some deeper truths in Catholicism, but every teaching has been leavened.
Three measures of meal is the quantity needed to make a full meal, signifying that the Catholic Church has fully leavened in a hidden way all the teachings concerning Christ. There is not one exception; baptism, the Lord’s table, and everything concerning Christ has been leavened. Unless we have a keen discernment to see through the good outward appearance, we will not be able to detect the leaven.
The reality of the kingdom of the heavens began on the day of Pentecost with the formation of the church. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens began immediately after the formation of the church on the day of Pentecost. Immediately after the baptism of all the believers, possibly even the next day, Satan came in to sow the tares. When farmers sow wheat, they may examine each individual grain, yet tares will still appear as the wheat grows. No one knows where the tares come from. It is unlikely that they could come from the birds or from the wind. According to the Lord’s word in Matthew 13:25 and 28, the sowing of the tares is the work of the enemy, Satan.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the last aspect of the kingdom of the heavens. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is revealed by the Lord’s prophecy on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24 and 25. Today, among us there is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, but this reality is hidden. Most unbelievers do not see this reality; what they see is the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens. They see the false appearance that is today’s Christianity.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will occur at the Lord’s coming back (Matt. 24:33, 39, 42-44; 25:6, 19).
This manifestation is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens manifested as the heavenly part of the millennium (Rev. 20:4-6). The reality of the kingdom of the heavens today will be the heavenly part of the thousand year kingdom. The thousand year kingdom will have two parts: the upper part as the heavenly part and the lower part as the earthly part. In the heavenly part will be the overcoming saints, including both those in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, and those in the New Testament.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is for the overcoming saints as the kings with Christ to rule over the nations as the people and over Israel on the earth (Rev. 2:26-27; 12:5a; 20:4; Matt. 19:28). At the Lord’s coming back, all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:25-27), but they will not be transfigured right away; they will remain in the body of flesh. However, by that time the overcoming Christians will have been transfigured to have a glorious body like Christ’s.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is also for the overcoming saints as priests to serve God and Christ (Rev. 20:6). On one hand, the overcoming saints will be kings to rule over the people. On the other hand, they will be priests to serve God and Christ.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be a reward to all the overcoming saints of both the Old Testament and the New Testament (Matt. 24:45-47; 25:21-23; 2 Tim. 2:12a; 4:18b; 2 Pet. 1:11; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:4-5). To be in the kingdom of God is one thing, and to inherit the kingdom of God is another. In referring to the kingdom, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:4-5 all use the word inherit, saying that those who are sinful can never inherit the kingdom of God. To inherit the kingdom of God as the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, we must pay a price. We must live a kingdom life, a higher life with a higher standard of ethics. We also must overcome all the things that are against God. Otherwise, we will have no right to inherit the kingdom.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will end at the close of the millennium.
It is worthwhile for us to study the three aspects of the kingdom of the heavens—its reality, its appearance, and its manifestation—and to remember the items that constitute each aspect.